Increasing advances in computer technology (e.g., microprocessor speed, memory capacity, data transfer bandwidth, software functionality, and the like) have generally contributed to increased computer application in various industries. Ever more powerful server systems, which are often configured as an array of servers, are often provided to service requests originating from external sources such as the World Wide Web, for example.
Moreover, when developing an application, it is oftentimes difficult to predict how the application will react under real-world conditions. For example, it can be difficult to predict security vulnerabilities of an application prior to and during development and/or before completion. Frequently, upon completion, a developer will have to modify the application in order to adhere to real-world conditions and threats of attacks. Furthermore, designing for application security is oftentimes random and does not produce effective results. Consequently, applications and data associated therewith are left vulnerable to threats and uninvited attacks. Often, the typical software practitioner lacks the expertise to effectively predict vulnerabilities and associated attacks
Likewise, exchange of data between system components can potentially create vulnerabilities with respect to malware (e.g., viruses) and other harmful agents. For example, programs such as spyware can readily eavesdrop on and/or monitor an individual's activity, and report back such activity to the entity that initiated and/or instantiated the spyware. Typically, spyware employs computer software that collects sensitive data, such as personal information (e.g., passwords, Personal Identification Numbers (PINs), Social Security information, bank account, credit card and other ancillary financial details, etc.) about individuals without their consent. Put differently, spyware includes software that monitors user behavior, or accumulates information about the user through an executable program, deployed without adequate notice, consent, or control for the user.
In general, malware can be considered as potentially unwanted technologies deployed without appropriate user consent and/or implemented in ways that impair user control over, for example, material changes that affect their experience, privacy, or system security; use of their system resources, including programs installed on their computers; and/or collection, use, and distribution of their personal or other sensitive information. Likewise, adware, programs that cause advertising content to be delivered and displayed potentially in a manner or context that can be unexpected or unwanted by users, has also become a prevalent feature of the modern computing experience. Many adware applications, in addition to causing advertising content to unexpected be displayed, can also include tracking functionalities similar to those common in spyware.
To prevent such undesirable and destructive agents, in-process or ‘in-proc’ scanning software is most often employed to cleanse documents that are both uploaded and downloaded during a conference. Accordingly, anti-malware products such as anti-spyware products can scan machines to identify a ‘threat’, which is a grouping of objects detected on the target system related to an instance of malware—(each object, such as a file, registry key, process, or other system object, can be referred to as a ‘resource’). Often, multiple threats can exist on a machine that has been infected by malware, and the resources associated therewith may also be shared across multiple threats (or otherwise depend on resources in other threats or the same threat.) As such, an action performed on one resource can have unintended consequences on another resource (or the same resource in another threat). Such can complicate remediation processes, and cause failure or unexpected results such as data loss for the user.